This week, I was disappointed with myself. I truly thought I would end the week with ZERO food waste. Not so easy.
This week, I had to toss about 80% of a 2 pound container of strawberries. They were buried in the refrigerator and… sigh. That’s not cotton in there.
TIP: I was able to salvage a few strawberries and rinsed them with white distilled vinegar. I keep the vinegar in a spray bottle under my sink for spritzing berries and grapes to help kill bacteria. I soak them, let it rest for about a minute, and then rinse well. You cannot take the vinegar at all.
I also had a handful of salad that was trashed because I let it get too mushy to freeze.
TIP: Freeze salad? Yes. Not iceberg but hardier varieties like spring greens, kale, and spinach. I toss them in the freezer and sauté to serve over eggs or chop and stir into soups.
TIP: I also renewed my efforts to save the skins and pieces I cut away from vegetables. I toss them in a gallon-sized bag in the freezer to make stock. I keep a bag to collect vegetables and pieces for vegetable and/or chicken stock and a separate bag for mushroom stock.
Food Waste = Money Waste
- Strawberries – approximately $4.50
- 1 cup organic salad greens – approximately $1.00
Total food waste value? Approximately $5.50.
That’s significantly better than last week but… I still need to clean out my freezers.
How are you doing on the Waste Nothing Challenge?
Hi Tabitha! This is such a cool challenge! It’s so smart to equate the food waste with money spent on the things that go bad.